Of Ice and Men

I noticed something at the beginning of this month, which was a trend of people picking words for the 2017. Like a mantra. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it at the time, although it seemed like a good idea; I didn't think I'd be able to pick just one word to encapsulate my hopes for the entirety of the coming year. That being said, one word picked me. FORWARD What exactly does that one word mean? It means that I will—and must—constantly keep moving forward. I cannot dwell in the moment, good or bad, because I have to think about the next moment, and what is more important: being caught up in the present or what's to come? That also means that I must examine what I am doing in the moment and determine if it's going to help me move forward. Am I writing, working on that next book? Working on the administrative side of things? Engaging in needed self-care? If it's not important, then I shouldn't be spending time on it. That means staying off o...

In my last blog post, I reflected on last year's resolutions and settled on this year's. But there's a difference between resolutions and tasks . Resolutions are changes that I want to instill in myself for the coming year and beyond. But there are also tons of tasks that I want to accomplish in 2017 to make it the best year yet. I want to:    star learning French    get all dressed up for a fancy evening    attend a wine tasting    try yoga    read more    travel somewhere I haven't been before Of course, this is just a short list off the top of my head. Is there anything you're looking to cross off your bucket list this year? Let me know in the comments!

December is so close to be over, and so is 2016. And thank goodness for that—is it just me, or has year been supremely sucky for just about everyone?? For me, it seems like I've hit a new speed bump every time I thought I had caught my stride. I said goodbye to my beloved Maxie Cat, my friend I've had for half my life. Quite a few relationships have fallen apart. I'm lucky that I haven't encountered any major setbacks, but I've had a bunch of smaller inconveniences: computer problems, a stolen credit card, break ups and broken hearts, death and illnesses, apartment disasters, unexpected expenses.... You name it, I'm sure I've experienced it this year. But that doesn't mean this year has been all bad. Two new kitties, Flynn and Anna, have adopted me. I got a new Dallas Comets book published. An amazing friend invited me to see the Pens home opener and banner raising. I've made a lot of business decisions relating to my writing career including ...

Welp, I have the final calculations for how much Home Ice Advantage has made for the Seduced by the Game cancer charity anthology and my charity of choice. Ready for the grand total? $1,448.63 Once all the royalties get paid through, I'll be making the donation to The Mario Lemieux Foundation and of course report on that. All I can say now is a huge THANK YOU to all who purchased Home Ice Advantage and supported the Seduced by the Game cause.

I love  Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday! I have so many memories of cooking in the kitchen with my mom, helping however I could—considering I refused (and still do!) to stick my hand in that turkey to stuff it. I'm always disappointed when the stores start playing Christmas music on November 1. I know people are excited for Christmas, but it's like we're all overlooking the wonderful, forgotten holiday of Thanksgiving. I'm going to get a little political in this section (so you can skip it, if you want). Thanksgiving represents a time when people come together, despite their differences; they help each other and celebrate what their cooperation has reaped for them. Of course, I am thinking of the "first Thanksgiving," in which the Native Americans helped the settlers at Plymouth, which lead to a bountiful harvest. Together, the settlers and Native Americans feasted. It is so pertinent to be reminded of this during the current turbulen...

A year has passed since Home Ice Advantage was released as a part of the Seduced by the Game charity collection. It will take a couple of months to get the final totals for donation, and I'll report that number as soon as I have it. So now it is time for me to introduce the series cover for the book, as designed by the amazing Deranged Doctor Design: Gorgeous, isn't it? I've been in the process of getting everything updated—from the vendor sites to my website to this very blog—so the new version should be available soon. And if you've already purchased the Seduced by the G ame version, you should be able to update the book on your eReader. Here are the links (Not all  of the sites have updated yet, but hopefully will be by the end of the day): Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble iTunes Inkterra Scribd 24symbols Smashwords Happy reading! Jay

I've been doing a lot with covers recently: new cover reveals and unveiling some redesigns as well. Those who are subscribed to my newsletter have already gotten the sneak peek of the upcoming Dallas Comets novel False Start , projected to release in 2017. Here's the public reveal: Check it the new and improved Play the Man : This new cover follows the redesigns of Shots on Net and Game On : That's not all on the cover front! Soon, Home Ice Advantage  will be getting a new cover to fit in with the Dallas Comets series , since its year-long run in the Seduced by the Game charity collection anthology is coming to a close on October 28. But I'm not going to reveal that to you just yet. I need to keep some secrets to keep things interesting ;) The new cover for Home Ice Advantage  will be revealed—and available for purchase—beginning November 1, so be sure to keep in touch with me to see that! Keeping Up With the Jacobses : October 201...